Bibb City gets a listing on the National Register of Historic Places

Just north of the Columbus Historic District, a new listing is now official. The Bibb City Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 14.

The area includes the site of the historic industrial buildings associated with the Columbus plant of the Bibb Manufacturing Co., the remaining dam and powerhouse, the mill workers' houses and other commercial and community landmark buildings. The mill workers' houses were built by the Bibb Mill.

The textile mill began operation in 1900 on a bluff on the Chattahoochee River, that was known as Lovers' Leap.

A rope drive waterwheel powered the spinning mill. In 1920, the mill was expanded to five stories and 90 bays long. That mill building was destroyed by a fire two years ago. Other parts of the mill, including warehousese, water tower, dam and hydroelectric plant, are still standing.

According to the Historic Columbus Foundation, this area is important "in commerce and industry for its role as one of the largest textile operations in the South."